The Obama administration finalized a rule Friday to update Nutritional Fact Labels on food products.
The updates included a new design for the label to highlight calories and serving sizes, as well as new servings sizes that more closely reflect the amount of food people are eating. The update will include dual columns that list both “per serving” and “per package” calorie and nutrition information for certain products consumed in one or multiple sittings like a pint of ice cream or 3-ounce bag of chips.
The rule also includes a provision that forces food producers to list the grams and a percent daily value for added sugar. Food groups up in arms over the new requirement have accused the Food and Drug Administration of pushing forward without the proper science to back it up.
The Sugar Association has said a public health link between a nutrient and a disease and some sort of quantitative number that is based on science is needed to justify labeling decisions.
FDA said it added the value after the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee issued a recommendation — now part of the final federal guidelines — that Americans limit their added sugar intake to less than 10 percent of their total daily calories. Critics say that amount was solely based on intake estimates and not sound science.
Read more:
http://thehill.com/regulation/healthcare/280671-fda-finalizes-updates-to-nutrition-facts-labels
